SLCNA Report February 2020 - Report - Page 13
• The stakeholders noted that many seniors may find it challenging to coordinate their care among
providers especially when seeing specialists and/or taking several medications. Providers do not
offer continuity of care and may ask the same questions at each visit.
• Affordable housing, specifically housing options for seniors who are not eligible for subsidized
housing, were discussed as a need. Overall, housing was discussed as an influencer in the health
of an individual and access to other needs such as food and transportation.
• Care for individuals with mental illness and those with a criminal record is considered a challenge.
• Participants also noted that a health issue for seniors is falls and how medication can encourage
falls—education is needed to prevent these occurrences.
• Preventative health care and screenings are needed within the county as well as transportation
to support the utilization of these services.
2. What major health issues do you see among low income or underserved senior populations
such as minority groups or people with disabilities?
• The group agreed there is a lack of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) certified “beds” available
in this region for older adults and those with disabilities who need a personal care home, but lack
the finances.
• Stakeholders expressed their concern for a lack of funding, treatment, and local options for those
with mental health issues among these specific populations.
• In general, the group felt that human services funding for older adults health care is secondary.
Other underserved groups mentioned included the visually impaired, LGBTQ, the Latino
community, and Veterans.
• Affordability of prescription drugs with the lower income populations was included. Many do
not take advantage of PACEnet, and there are no commercials to promote it and little public
awareness of the program.
• A general lack of knowledge and education about what support services are available, as well
as funding and eligibility, was shared. Furthermore, despite having the knowledge, accessing or
signing up can be complicated, due to the technology gap or the application process being too
complicated. It was noted that the application process for Medical Assistance eligibility is long
and difficult. Language barriers can also complicate these issues.
• Suburban sprawl means limited access to transportation making it more difficult for consumers to
get to medical appointments and or work, plus it limits social interaction. A lack of transportation
options was mentioned again, because it could exacerbate existing health issues after missing
doctor appointments or diagnostic testing.
• A sufficient and quality workforce is and will continue to be a big challenge to provide assistance
and care to all groups, especially those with more limited income and access to support. Plus, it
was mentioned that turnover rates within non-medical home care agencies are extremely high,
and projected to only get worse.
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